Thanks to all the great folks who came out to see Jane Kelly Williams and who contributed their voices to the wonderful sing-a-longs we had. I can't remember singing quite that much at a concert before, and quite that well (as a group, that is!). Jane truly loved it. For those not there, let me tell you a little about the person you missed:
The first time I met Jane Kelly Williams was at a Folk Alliance convention in Cleveland, Ohio, sometime in the late 1990s. I had read about Jane in the now long defunct True Tunes magazine, as she was touring her debut record, Tapping the Wheel, opening for mainstream act October Project. Intrigued at references to her Christian faith, and needing to fill a showcase of artists for Silent Planet Records, I invited her to come. She played to a full room of many who obviously came to hear her and only her, completely hushed by her tender lyrics, accomplished guitar style, and fragile voice. It was a special time.
Since then Jane has completed one other record, Patchwork of the Lost and Found, led worship in her church, and along with husband and accomplished bassist, Dave Richards, raised a daughter. It's not easy for her to find time to hit the road, but she coming to do a special concert for us. You can bet it will be a treat.
Jane is a Southern girl, originally from Newnan, Georgia, who moved to NYC to go to college at The Manhattan School of Music. She started piano early and has written songs and played guitar since she was 12 years old.
Her first two albums, recorded for an indie European label, brought several international tours including Japan, Spain, Holland and Belgium. "Tapping the Wheel" (Mercury Records) her 3rd CD, met with critical acclaim and her song, "Breaking Into the Past" became a top 10 single on Adult Contempory radio. Another song, "Show Me How to Catch a Fish", from the same record, was featured in the major motion picture "Picture Perfect" (Jennifer Anniston and Kevin Bacon).
She has had several songs in independent films, on HBO, and a featured song in the PBS special, Poetry in Motion. Jane was a recipient of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Grant in the songwriting category for 1999.
Most recently, when Tony Award winning singers Audra MacDonald and Victoria Clark were asked by Lincoln Center to give concerts for The American Songbook Series, four of Jane's songs were chosen, one song for the inauguration of the series with Audra in Jan 2005, and 3 songs with Victoria in Feb 2006. Jane performed with Victoria in the Allen Room at Lincoln Center.
So, what can I say. She's a star, albeit a humble one. Listen or watch below for a hint of what you missed (and may hear next time). And stay tuned for pictures of our show (to be posted soon) method="post">LISTEN: (Click on link to listen or right-click and save to desktop)
WATCH: Watching this video is like watching a piece of history. Because there are apparently no recent videos of Jane performing, this one is from the late 90s, that era of urban folk music. She's playing in a little club in (where else) Greenwich Village. Just look at the audience!